What an interesting turn of events! Texas State Representative David Simpson will be the main challenger against Rep. Joe Straus for Speaker of the House. Rep. Bryan Hughes has dropped out and endorsed David Simpson. See Statements from Bryan Hughes and David Simpson below.

Texas Speaker of the House Joe Straus has a target on his back by, well, just about any true conservative Republicans. It is hard to support a man (Straus) who campaigns for liberal democrats, killed conservative legislation, hurt conservatives in redistricting, is pro abortion, and got elected to lead the House only because he teamed up with the Democrats and got them all to vote for him over the Republican leader. Once in power, Straus has stayed in power by threatening to hurt (politically) anyone who votes against him.

Last session (2011), there were some candidates who ran against Joe Straus, but it was all last minute and there was not a lot of time to organize and really run a campaign against Straus.

This upcoming session (2013), conservative Republicans decided to get ahead of the curve and the put someone out early to run against Straus. State Representative Bryan Hughes bravely stepped forward to run against Straus. By joining the race so early, this has allowed conservative Republicans to contact their State Reps, contact the media, expose the truth about liberal Joe Straus, and really get the word out about this Speaker race and the importance of a MAJORITY REPUBLICAN House to stand up and elect a TRUE REPUBLICAN as Speaker.

Statement from David Simpson on Filing to Run Against Straus for Texas Speaker of the House:

(Austin) – Today Representative David Simpson of Longview announced his candidacy for Speaker of the Texas House.

“For some time I have been prompted and encouraged to run for Speaker,” said Simpson. “After much prayer, consideration, and counsel, I made the decision to enter the race and filed the requisite paperwork.”

Simpson commented: “Since I filed, a number of my colleagues have already offered their support and we look forward to sharing our vision of fair and open government with every member of the Legislature.

“I respect Speaker Straus as a fellow legislator; however, we differ on the way that the House should be led. And I am not alone in that opinion,

“The culture of ‘go along to get along’ politics, where members face intimidation and retribution should they disagree with a leadership decision, stifles representative government.

“Moreover, the rules have been considered advisory rather than mandatory and applied disparately. I believe, however, the rules should be enforced without regard to party, personality, or seniority.

“The responsibility for the solution lies with the current members. I invite my fellow legislators to join me in transforming the way the House operates. Now is the time to change the spirit of our Legislature and put the principles of liberty and open government above the politics of intimidation.”

Representative Simpson lives in Longview with his wife of 27 years, Susan, and their children. Simpson, a seventh-generation Texan, runs a family business and previously served as the mayor of Avinger for several years.

Statement from Bryan Hughes on Dropping Out and Supporting David Simpson as Speaker

Bryan Hughes today issued the following statement regarding Representative David Simpson’s filing for Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives:

“I wholeheartedly endorse my friend David Simpson for Speaker of the House. David is uniquely qualified to lead the House at this pivotal time in our history. David Simpson has earned his reputation as an eminently fair, highly principled, and hardworking legislator.

He has demonstrated that he has both the courage to stand alone and the wisdom and humility to build broad coalitions. These are sorely lacking in politics today, and necessary to accomplish the great work of the Texas House.

For some months now I have been traveling the state and visiting with my fellow State Representatives, with candidates, and with our employers: the people of Texas. After countless meetings and conversations, I am more convinced than ever that we need new leadership in the Texas House. I am also convinced that the strongest candidate to bring in that new leadership is David Simpson.

So I urge all of my colleagues and soon-to-be colleagues in the Texas House to give David their full support. I know that a growing number of us are already behind David, and I am confident that the House is well on its way to having a new Speaker.

I owe a tremendous debt to hundreds of Texans who have helped me in this campaign. So many have prayed for us, have volunteered, have contributed financially, and helped us in a host of other ways. I am very thankful for this overwhelming backing, and I humbly ask for all of my friends to give David Simpson their full support.”

The following video of David Simpson speaker to the Texas House of Representatives is a GREAT introduction to David Simpson. WATCH IT. You will find out a little of who David Simpson is, why we need a new Speaker, and why he will be a great Speaker!